Future Shock Blog

Minor League Update: Games of May 26

On the afternoon of May 18th, our one-year anniversary podcast came out with Altuve as a guest. Since the release of that show, the 5-foot-5 (he says he's 5-6 now) second baseman has gone 19-for-33 (.576) to raise his season averages to .403/.445/.571 in 47 games overall. Coincidence?

Moore has led the minor leagues in strikeouts over each of the last two seasons, and with his first double-digit effort last night, he's now second with 76 punch outs in 52.2 innings. A bulky left-hander with a fastball and curve that both rate as above-average if not greater, Moore seems to be improveing with each outing, as in his last five starts, he's whiffed 44 over 28.1 innings while putting up a 0.95 ERA and limiting Southern League hitters to a .143 batting average. He projects as at least a No. 2 starter in the big leagues, has a chance to exceed that, and is lined up for a very long look next spring.

That line is actually from Wednesday, but I didn't hear from a scout about the game until yesterday afternoon. Few pitchers have been more impressive of late, as Peacock has whiffed 33 over 19.2 innings in his last three outings while allowing just nine hits and four walks, and the stuff is backing up the numbers. The 23-year-old is not overwhelming physically, but with super-fast arm action, he's consistently sitting in the low-to-mid 90s with his fastball, and the pitch plays up from there due to his ability to locate and use both sides of the plate. He'll flash a good curve ball and decent change, and even with secondary pitches that lag a bit behind, he projects as a number three starter with room to grow if his arsenal does.

Lost in one of the most loaded rotations in the minors, Pettibone has actually been Clearwater's most consistent starter, with a 1.75 ERA after ten starts. His low-90s fastball is his best pitch, as beyond the velocity, his six-foot-five frame and delivery creates a good angle on the pitch, and unlike many tall, young arms, he throws the pitch for strikes. His breaking ball and changeup are still works in progress, but he's generating some buzz and is more than just another arm at Clearwater.

Others Of Note:

Dustin Ackley, 2B, Mariners (Triple-A Tacoma): 3-for-4, 2B, 2 R; 1-for-3, 2B, K. Hitting .343/.433/.598 in 25 May games; could be up as early as the next zero-to-ten days.

Christian Bethancourt, C, Braves (Low-A Rome): 3-for-5, HR (3), 2 R, RBI. Putting together best offensive run of his full-season career; approach problems are no more clearly communicated than his .311/.299/.419 mark in 18 May games.

Aroldis Chapman, RHP, Reds (Triple-A Louisville): 2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 5 K. No walks, but did have two wild pitches and a balk; no sure we can call this progress yet.

Michael Choice, OF, Athletics (High-A Stockton): 3-for-4, 2B, R. Slugging up to .500 for the first time in a month; still striking out once per three at-bats.

Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B, Indians (Triple-A Columbus): 2-for-5, HR (5), R, RBI, K. Fourth-straight multi-hit game and up to .287/.369/.456; 900+ OPS in May and could deserve a look soon.

Zach Collier, OF, Phillies (Low-A Lakewood): 4-for-4, 2B, 2 R, SB, CS. Showing signs of life for the first time since being a first round pick in 2008; hitting .390 in last 15 games and .275/.343/.408 overall.

Jared Mitchell, OF, White Sox (High-A Winston-Salem): 2-for-3, HR (6), R, 2 RBI, 2 BB. 2009 first-round pick who missed all of 2010 has been mostly a disappointment in return, by 5-for-7 with two home runs in last two games for .220/.273/.415 line.

Martin Perez, LHP, Rangers (Double-A Frisco): 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K. Are we finally getting some consistency? Has allowed just two runs over 26.2 innings in last four starts, and it's easy to forget he's still just 20 years old.

Ben Revere, OF, Twins (Triple-A Rochester): 2-for-4. Fifth straight two-hit game and 20-for-37 (.541) during nine-game hitting streak; average up from .194 to .317/.360/.365 as a result.

Tyler Skaggs, LHP, Diamondbacks (High-A Visalia): 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 10 K. Young for the league at 19, playing in a great offensive environment, and is limiting the California League to a .212 batting average with 11.3 K/9.

Kevin, what's your sense of wheeler's ultimate upside? I see he wasn't among your top 20 rockies prospects in 2011 and was a 3-star average-chance-to-be-average guy in 2010. Has he figured enough out to be an above average MLB RF?

Jarrod Parker's line last night was decent and his stats are looking a little better in May. The k's are down a bit. Do you think that's him taking something off his heat to try and compensate for his command? Anything from scouts on him recently?

Check out these articles from the STL Post Dispatch if you want some more info about him, they're both good reads. The first is about him trying to come to America and what the Cardinals had to do to confirm his identity, and the second is just about the start he had at Busch Stadium last night.

Of course, I'd be interested to hear what KG had to say about him too. I went to the game last night and I was surprised how good his secondary stuff looked, since my expectation with young kids with fastballs like his are that their secondary stuff is usually completely underdeveloped. I'm no scout, though, and I've barely found any info from people more credible than me regarding that topic.